XYZ is the first solo album by Andy Summers. Released in 1987, it is to date his only album to feature vocals, though an uncredited vocal appears on his 1991 album track World Gone Strange.
Background
During his tenure with The Police, Summers had worked on a number of solo projects, including two albums of instrumental music with Robert Fripp and the soundtrack for films such Down and Out in Beverly Hills and . Following the official break-up of band in 1986, Summers, like his bandmates Sting and Stewart Copeland, embarked on a more ambitious solo project. Summers partnered with musician, recording engineer and producer David Hentschel, and was the first Police member to leave A&M Records, choosing to work with MCA instead. The album was recorded in 1986 at Devo's studio in Los Angeles, California. Many of the songs have been demoed in the years before and put forward for consideration for a Police album. Summers took vocal duties on himself, and played guitar and bass. Drum programming was favoured over the use of actual drums following a production vein popular in the mid-1980s. The title "XYZ" comes from the middle names of Summers's three children. His daughter Layla has the middle name 'Z', and his twin sons, Maurice and Anton, have the middle names 'X' and 'Y' respectively. The cover portrait is by Anton Corbijn. "Love is the Strangest Way" was released as the first single. The promotional video was inspired by the work of Maya Deren and shot as a short black and white film, with Summers and his love interest desperately trying to meet in a room full of people. Summers commented: "I didn't like any of video. We were always made to look bright, inoffensive and appealing. As videos progressed, they started to move away from that: they got hipper, people started using Super 8 and handheld techniques, and everything got darker and more interesting." Another track, "Carry Me Back Home", was recorded during the XYZ sessions for the soundtrack of the film Band of the Hand and released on the B-side of the 12-inch version of the "Love is the Strangest Way" single. Charlotte Caffey, from the new-wave band the Go-Gos, did not play in the album but she co-authored the title track with Summers and Hentschel and is acknowledged for her support in the credits.
Reception
Summers put together a six-piece band and toured extensively to promote the album, augmenting the set list with some Police material, including "Tea in the Sahara" and "Omega Man", which was never played live before. Both the album and the single failed to chart, prompting Summers to return to the instrumental music explored in the albums recorded with Fripp in his future ventures.
Track listing
Personnel
Andy Summers – guitar, bass guitar, vocals, producer
